Aerial advertising device



June 24, 1930. 0, E FREDER 1,765,665

AERIAL ADVERTISING DEVICE Filed June 25, 1927 4 QWIZFE 54/ a Patented June 24, 1930 UNITED STATES OSCAR E. FRIEDER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS AERIAL ADVERTISING DEVICE Application filed June 25,

This invention relates to improvements in aerial advertising device.

It has long been recognized that aerial advertising, particularly at night, affords one of the best mediums for attracting the pub lics attention. Heretofore, so far as 1 am aware, such forms of advertising have been limited practically to either a single adver-' tisement permanently or fixedly applied to some form of aerostat or to a sign of some character supported in the air by an aerostat. Such prior forms of aerial advertising have many disadvantages, among them, the limitation to a single set form of advertisement when permanently applied on the aerostatand the difficulty of maintaining both the aerostat and the sign supported therefrom in such condition and position as to be properly observed by the public from the ground.

One object of my invention is to provide a simple aerial advertising arrangement utilizing a minimum number of elements While at I the same time aerm'ittin the free chan in 1 b b b of the displayed advertising matter without the necessity of taking down or adjusting the moorings of the aerostat.

Another object of my invention is to provide an improved type of aerostat of such form that the advertising matter, either still or animated images, may be projected directly onto the aerostat itself and in such manner as to prevent distortion of the projected images while rendering the same free-- ly visible to observers below.

Other objects of my invention will more clearly appear from the description and claims hereinafter following.

In the drawing forming a part of this speciiication, Figure 1 is a more or less diagrammatic view illustrating my improved advertising device. And Figure 2 is a transverse, sectional view of the improved aerostat. In Figure 1 the aerostat is shown much closer to the building or other support from which it is moored, in order to more clearly illustrate the invention and at the same time accommodate the view on the sheet.

In carrying out my invention, I preferably provide an aerostat of the balloon type, that is, one lighter than air. Preferably also, said 1927. Serial No. 201,311.

aerostat is of elongated, more or less cigarshape as clearly indicated in Figure 1, where the aerostat is indicated generally by the reference character A. In actual practice, for commercial purposes, such aerostat may be about 30 or 4L0 feet long and approximately 20 feet in major diameter. In the particular form shown, aerostat A has cigar-shaped ends 1010 with an intermediate elongated body portion, the cross section of which is best indicated in Figure2. As there indicated, the main body portion of the aerostat is'provided with flat sides 11'11, united at the top by a rounded portion 12 and at the bottom by another rounded portion 13. As clearly shown in Figure 2, the main fiat sides 1111 are inclined from the vertical when the aerostat occupies its normal and horizontal position illustrated in Figure 1, for the purpose hereinafter described. As will be understood by those skilled in the art, the desired cross-sectional shape of the aerostat can easily be determined by suitable interior framing which is deemed unnecessary of illustration.

In carrying out my invention, the sides 11 of the aerostat will either be made of suitable material capable of retaining the gas, such as hydrogen, and at the same time opaqued so as to provide a suitable projector screen. It is also within the purview of my invention that the sides 11 have anopaque coating applied thereto to serve as a projector screen, or possibly have an additional layer of fabric or other suitable material di rectly applied to the main fabric cover of the aerostat.

In carrying out my invention, the aerostat will be moored to a fixed object, preferably on the top of a high building, such mooring being accomplished by any suitable means, one form of which is indicated in Figure 1, consisting of the guy ropes l t-1 1, each of which will be attached at its lower end to a suitable pulley or fastening device on the building, indicated at 15 and at their other ends to any suitable means provided on the aerostat such as the netting 16-16 covering the ends thereof. p

In actual practice, the aerostat will pref erably be let out so as to occupy a position, say 500 or 600 feet away from and above the building or ther support to which i is anchored and on which will preferably be located a projector indicated conventionally at 15. Tie projector 53 may be of any suitable form having "revision for projecting the light rays at any desired angle in a vertical plane and also swi'veled so as to be pointed in any-direction around the horizon to the end that the advertising matter may be pro jected on the sides of the aerostat regardless of the direction of the Wind.

The projector B may be of such form as to project still pictures or animated or moving pictures or images, the term images being used broadly to include reading ma ter, pictorial matt r, illustrations and the like. The term John Doe has been illustrated as projected on one side of the aerostat to indicate the manner of projecting the advertising matter thereon.

ll ith the aerostat of the general form indicated in the drawing, it ill be evident hat the some will assume a horizontal position and maintain a definite direction so long the ind remains steady, and consequently one flat side 11 01: the aerostat Will occupy a definite position with reference to the building or other stationary support on which the projectorB is located. The fiat sides 11 of the aerostat Will preferably be so related with reference to the projector and the distance therefrom at which the aerostat is maintained, as to present a side 11 at an angle substantially perpendicular to the projected light rays from the projector B in order that there will be no distortion or a minimization of distortion of the projected images on the screen surface 11 and also so that the screen surfaces 11 Will be at an angle to the public on the ground such that the public may read ily observe the advertising matter from that side of the aerostat on which advertising matter is projected.

From the preceding description, it Will be seen that only two elements are required in carrying out my invention, namely, the aerostat proper and the projector; that the aero stat itself serves as the projector screen; that the advertising matter is projected thereon with a minimization of distortion; and, obviously, that the advertising matter may be changed freely and as frequently as desired or, in fact, made a continuous moving picture type advertisement, Without the necessity of changing the moorings of the aerostat.

I am aware that various changes and modilications may be made Without departing from the spirit of the invention, and all such changes and modifications are contemplated as come Within the scope of the claim appended hereto.

I claim An aerial advertising device comprising in combination an aerostat of elongated, cigar-shaped, balloon type formed in crosssection to provide fiat sides converging toward the bottom and aiiording elongated projector screen surfaces on opposite sides; a guy rope secured to said aerostat adjacent each end tiereot and anchored at their ends to a fixed support; and a light projector located on said tired suppo rt in convenient aroxnnit to the anchor-a e of sai'l u" ro es in oosit-ion to )ro'ect li ht ra s disnla in L C 1. i C) advertising matter on one of said screens,

said projector being adjustable to varying. 

